Ballistic Movements

BALLISTIC FUNCTIONAL MOVEMENTS training with Coach Ruben

Our Ballistic Functional Movement Program is an alternative to muscle isolation and static training gym workouts. Focusing on functional strength, conditioning and improved body movement to make movement in your everyday activities easier!
At the BAM Academy we support a wide variety of fitness levels... those who have never trained in a gym, regular gym participants, and even to those who train on their own and want to take their exercise experience to new levels. Our functional training classes provide a full body workout that is actually enjoyable, refreshingly different and effective in taking your fitness to the next level.
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Every workout starts with joint mobility work (to lubricate your joints) and some myofascial release – a form of self stretching and massage (using a foam roller) that will help you warm up and get rid of the aches, pains and knotted muscles.

This would be followed up with some warm up activity – cardiovascular in nature – it can be just body weight work or it could involve one of our many pieces of equipment….Jump rope, the agility ladder, Lebert EQ’s or any one of a multitude of sport specific warm up activities. Variety is the Spice of LIFE!

The main part of the workout will be 20-30 minutes long and could consist of any number of activities – dependent on your conditioning, abilities and goals. It might include HIIT conditioning work, functional training, plyometrics, balance and agility work, or just good old fashion calisthenics (body weight). Almost every workout will have you working with the following: Kettlebells, Steelbells, Battling Ropes, Bulgarian Bags, and Lebert EQ’s.

The workout will often conclude with 5 minutes of some type of cardio or core work and is completed by some stretching and foam roller work (myofascial release).

Kettlebells are the basis for the majority of my training. Although Strength and Conditioning is a primary use of the tool, I will also use it to increase your mobility and core strength.

Unlike the exercises with dumbbells or barbells, Kettlebell exercises often involve large numbers of repetitions. Kettlebell exercises are in their nature ballistic, therefore they work several muscles simultaneously.

This combination makes the exercise partially aerobic and more similar to High-intensity Interval Training (HIIT) rather than to traditional weight lifting. In one study, kettlebell enthusiasts performing a 20 minute snatch workout were measured to burn, on average, 13.6 calories/minute aerobically and 6.6 calories/minute anaerobically during the entire workout – “equivalent to running a 6-minute mile pace”.

I feel it is very important your overall health and well being to be able to move your body and stay strong (sometimes under load) in every of the following positions:

Up and down

Lateral movement right and left

forward backward

Bending forward backward

Twisting right and left

Rolling right and left

I like to define Functional Forward Fitness as; Continuously improving full body holistic training, often asymmetrical in nature, while working to improve your ability to move in the six degrees of movement.

A lot of every movements in every day life involve asymmetrical loads placed on your body. Rarely do you find yourself carrying two things in both arms that are of equal weight and size. This may include carrying a young child, a potted plant, a pair of suitcases or a bag of groceries while helping the neighbor.

Understanding how to move your body through efficiently through space is something we focus on here at the BAM Academy. Almost all movements we do are compound in nature, and very rarely will be focused on isolating muscles. Neither will we focus on developing certain muscles for an “Aesthetic Look”.

Focusing on developing a strong core, improved joint mobility and a good understanding of how to engage your muscles during compound movements and as needed (while breathing efficiently) is something we practice in the Ballistic Movements class.

Some of the Functional training tools used by Ballistic Movements at the BAM Academy: